Emile Street garden squash, scented with vadouvan, sour greens, and squash blossom soubise at Oxheart, Monday, May 14, 2012, in Houston, a new restaurant in the Warehouse District at 1302 Nance Street. ( Karen

Emile Street garden squash, scented with vadouvan, sour greens, and squash blossom soubise at Oxheart, Monday, May 14, 2012, in Houston, a new restaurant in the Warehouse District at 1302 Nance Street. ( Karen

The heritage pork sirloin coated in nori, roast soyu cucumber, and nasturtium flower at Oxheart, Monday, May 14, 2012, in Houston, a new restaurant in the Warehouse District at 1302 Nance Street. ( Karen

Crawfish poached in butter with fermented carrot, green coriander seeds and Texas rice as served at Oxheart.

Crawfish poached in butter with fermented carrot, green coriander seeds and Texas rice as served at Oxheart.

Photo: Alison Cook

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Sommelier Justin Vann leaves Oxheart

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Justin Vann, whose unexpected wine and beer pairings at Oxheart earned him a nod as one of Food & Wine magazine's 10 top sommeliers in the nation for 2012, worked his final day at the pacesetting tasting-menu restaurant last week.Vann has labored full-tilt on the much-lauded Oxheart with co-owners and chefs Justin Yu and Karen Man since the construction phase began early in 2012, All parties say the split is amicable— indeed, Vann and Yu were sighted together last week eating and drinking in Austin on the restaurant's days off.

Vann says he'll be helping out with Oxheart's wine buying until a new wine director is named, although he won't be on the restaurant floor. For his part, Yu says he will be partnering with Vann on a new project aimed at making the kinds of small-production wines he has championed more accessible in Houston. (Yes, Vann's staying in town.) It won't be under the Oxheart umbrella, explains Yu — "it's very much his own, but it's a way to start expanding our scope."